Ticket issuing machine



July 15, 1941. RQH. DAMQN TICKET ISSUING MACHINE Filed Jan. 4, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 y www@ .m m M e mw /m 6 M d L l' @/uffa.

July 1.5, 1941-- R. H. DAMON 2,249,347

TICKET ISSUING MACHINE STANDARD THEATRE .5153i x x x x x x X X X X x x x x x x x X X x x x x x x x x f X x x x x X x x Q x x x x x x x x X X l E. Mmmm v, ma a am: g

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oe/zl S/elz amom Patented July 15, 1941 TICKET 'ISSUING MACHINE Robert Hosken batman, Chicago,4 Ill., assigner to General Register Corporation, New .-York,.-N. Y.,

a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 4, 19410,.-:Serial'No. 1312.335

claims. (ci. 271-7213.)

This invention relates to a ticket machine, and more particularly to the type of Vmachine used for the -issuing of theatertickets.

In theaters having different pricedseats, Iit is customary to -provide ticket Vissuing machines comprising a number ofunits at least-equal to the number of types of ticketsv to be sold corresponding to the various accommodations offered bythe theater. As commonly provided, 'these units are of identical construction in all respects, and each unit comprisesV a counter adapted to indicate the' number of tickets issued 'by the unit. r'Ihe manager of the theater will, in such casa-indicate Which'of the units is supposed to.be used for the Yissuing of tickets of each particular denomination, and if this plan is lfollowed, the counters will accordingly indicate the lnumber of tickets of each value sold, and'hence Will determine the obligations of the cashier in turning over'the money. i

A dishonest cashier mayeasily take advantage of-thissituation tol cheat the theater owner by Yissuing through a unit intended for the issueA of 'low priced tickets a'number of higher 'priced tickets insufficient to cause suspicion of dishonesty toarise,since obviously the theater owner cannot predict, except very roughly, the number of patrons who Will'choose lower or'higher priced seats. Such fraud is vaided by the necessary fact that theoperator of the machine must have `access to the ticket supply containers Vin order to introduce new supplies upon exhaustion of old ones and to correct the feed of tickets the event of tearing or other trouble with the units.

It is the object of the present invention to prov-ide ticketissuing-machines of such nature that from each unit there may be properlyissued tickets of one denomination only, so that the theater owner may be assured that the counter of each unit indicates the number oftickets issued of the particular denomination for which 'the unit was assigned. The check on the proper issuance of tickets through the units is preferably through notice of Whether unmutilated tickets have been presented to the theater patrons. The stubs of the tickets retained by the ticket taker may be examined for this purpose. Alternatively, the units maybe arranged so that they will not operate unless they are supplied with thetickets which are to be fed through them. The above and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: y A

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic vievupartlyin section, indicating a ticket issuing Vmachine comprising a plurality ofassociated units; Y

Figure 2 isa fragmentary plan view of a form 'of ticket strip Vdesigned to y'be issued by one of Figure `'3 is asimilar view of a ticket strip designed to be issued-by Vanother of said units and incapable of issue by the-unit issuing the ticket strip of Figure' 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary elevation, partly in section, showing the ticket feeding means particularly adapted vfor the ticket strip of Figure 3;

Figure is a diagram indicating how the ticket feeding openings maybe standardized through a practical range of ticket prices;`

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan View of a ticket strip -of alternative form adapted to be issued Abya suitable ticket issuing unit.

Figure 7j is a similar view of still another vform of ticketvstrip; and y y Figure 8 isa diagram showing'an arrangement vwhereby the operation of a unit `may be made dependent upon the presence of a proper ticketV these yunits are shown only in diagrammatic ffashion, For further` understanding of the mechanism, reference may be 4made to the patent to Helsel, No. 2,176,966, dated October 24, 1939, the units of which patent are particularly dia- Agrammaticallyv illust-rated herein, with such `minor changes as `are necessary to accomplishment of the objects of the present invention. Brieflystated, the individual units 2 'are provided with 'controlling keys 4 adapted to A'issue different numbers of tickets, "conventional-ly from -one to five, in a single cycle of operation. Counters 6 are provided associated with the individual units to indicate the number of tickets issued b each of them.

feeding 'of the ticketsA is accomplished by means of pinwheels in the form of disccarrying pins on theirjperipheries 'Inth'e case 'of 'the ma- 'chine illustratedin Figure 1, however, a departure from this construction is adopted, taking the form of drums 8 carried by the shafts on which the pinwheels were heretofore mounted. In the case of the lowermost unit as viewed in Figure 1, the drum carries a single pin l0. In the case of the next unit', two pins l2 and i4 are carried by the drum and the third unit, in which the arrangement is not illustrated, would have still another arrangement of the pins, as will be evident hereafter. The pins extend through slots in guard plates I6 and through corresponding slots in cover members I8. Between these elements I6 and I8, the ticket strip passes. As in machines heretofore provided, the ticket strips are severed by means of movable knives 24 cooperating with xed blades.- -Prior to the time .be fed through the lowermost unit as viewed in Figure 1, while Figure 3 represents the ticket strip adapted to be fed through the adjacent unit. The ticket strip 26 of Figure 2 is provided with feeding openings 30 adapted to be engaged by the pins I8, which are carried in what may be designated a number one position on the drum. The

arrangement may be such that the openings 30 w are on the lines onrwhich severance takes place between the tickets. In the case of theticket strip 28 of Figure 3, holes 32Y and 34 are provided in what may be designated as the number two and number ve positions adapted to be engaged by the pins l2 and I4 in thesepositions.

Y It will be evident that the Istrip of Figure 2 can be fed by the lowermost unit of Figure 1, but cannot be fed by the next adjacent unit. If an attempt is made to feed it through the latter unit, it would be torn. Similarly, the strip of Figure 3 can only be fed through the last named unit and would be torn in an attempt to feed it through the rst unit unless it is fed in inverted position. However, it will be noted that the tickets designed to be fed through the lowermost of the units have a value of one dollar, whilethe tickets of Figure 3, which might, by reversal, be fed through this unit, have a lower value of only fifty-five cents. It would be absurd,

therefore, for any operator to attempt the feeding of the tickets of Figure 3 through the dollar unit.

The units and the tickets designed `to be fed through them may be arranged in accordance with a standard, indicated in Figure 5, in which there are indicated five possible positions of pins and holes and there are shown the arrangements of pins and holes corresponding to values running from five cents to one dollar in ve cent steps. It will be noted, in accordance with this table, that while it would be possible to run lower price tickets through higher price units, it would be impossible, subject to one type of exception, to run higher price tickets through lower price units without tearing, which would indicate that the tickets were improperly issued and Would most likely result in jamming of the machine by reason of the impossibility of causing the torn tickets to pass through the relatively close passages provided in the ticket guide spaces; The exception mentioned arises only froml the use ofthe limited number of' live pin positions, andv it'will be noted in the table that' in a number of instances, it would be Vp'ossiblefto feed a ticket of 'onevalue through a unit adapted to a value ve cents lower by inverting the ticket strip. For two reasons, however, the arrangement of the tabulation of Figure 5 is practical: rst, because the issue of the tickets inverted would be readily noticeable to customers, and secondly, and more particularly, because theaters generally have a greater increment than iive cents in their consecutive prices. Thus it would be unlikely that there wouldbe any call for a pair of units in a machine through which such feeding of a high priced ticket through a low priced unit could be effected by reversal.

In the ltabulation of Figure 5, five cent intervals have been indicated. Usually because of taxes, the prices of tickets are not multiples of five, and `such cases could be taken care of according to the standardized arrangement, for example, by providing that the arrangement for a seventy cent ticket would be applicable to tickets ranging in price from seventy cents to seventy-four cents.

By the adoption of an arrangement such as that described, it will be evident that the theater .owner can be assured that only tickets in the proper price range have been issued through any one of the units.

Theprinciplesl of the invention may be reduced to practice in various other fashions. of which two are illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, respectively.V I

In Figure 6 there is illustrated a ticket strip 36 in whichin the spacing of each ticket there are provided two'openings 38 and 40. This ticket Vstrip would be fed by means of a pinwheel having the pins paired to enter properly the openings 38 and 48. l The spacing between these openings and the spacings between the pins of veach pair would determine the corresponding values of the units and tickets. It will be evident that tickets having a certain hole spacing cannot be fed, without being torn, through a unit in which the pins are differently spaced. The arrangement of this figure, however, is not so desirable as the arrangement of Figure 1 by reason of the presence of holes in the body of a ticket making it impossible to provide printed matter through the central region where these holes occur.

In Figure 7 is shown an arrangement in which the proper issue of a complete, undamaged ticket is dependent upon the correspondencein the machine and ticket strip of the distance in the former between the line of severance and the feeding pins, and in the latter between the line on which severance must properly take place to cut complete tickets andthe openings in the tickets. 'I'he ticket strip 42 in this case is adapted to be severed on the lines indicated at 44. Borders 46 printed on the individual tickets may closely approach these lines. Holes 48 are spaced at particular distances from the lines 44 (which may not actually be marked on the tickets). 'I'he corresponding pinwheel must be so arranged in its angular relationship with the position of its shaft at the end of a feeding operation so that when the pins of the wheel engage the holes 48 the lines 44 will be in alignment with the cutting edges of the knife blades. Only iny such case will the severing take place without cutting/throughfa' printed portion ofthe ticket, which maybe readily seen from examinationl of the stubsretained byK-the ticket taker. The spacing of the holes 48 from the severing lines 44 accordingly may be used.to determine the value of the tickets. l V

The arrangements so far described are simplest in that very little modification of standard machines need be provided, there being only involved the particular construction of the feeding pinwheels or their relationships to the shafts on which they are mounted. These pin'wheels may be made replaceable on the shafts, but only by a mechanical operation which cannot be accomplished'by the cashier. Thus, for example, a theater might have an authorized mechanic to provide such changes of pinwheels as may be required by variations in prices, standard pinwheels being supplied for such purposes. Obviously, only by elaborate and readily detachable collusion could improper issuance of tickets be effected.

The invention, however, may be embodied in another form which will prevent operation of the machine unless a unit is supplied by tickets of proper type. This modification is diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 8, in which the ticket strip 56 is provided with conventional feeding holes 53 and with variably placed controlling openings 52. In such case, the machine is provided with a brush 54 adapted to engage a plate 56 through an opening 52 whenever the ticket strip is at rest. At B5 there is represented the usual switch applied to the unit in question as is conventional in machines of this type. with the switch iii) and the brush 54 and the motor 62. A contact 64 is connected to the brush 54 and is adapted to be engaged by an armature BS connected to the plate 56 whenever the coil 58 is energized. By reason of this electrical arrangement, it will be obvious that unless the brush 5d may extend through an opening 52 ,to engage the plate 56, closure of a uni't switch 8U will be ineifective to operate the driving motor 62 of the machine. On the other hand, if such contact occurs, the driving motor will be energized and the machine will pass through its cycle, the relay 58 automatically locking itself at the instant the circuit is made (since contact by its armature closes its energizing circuit in parallel with the brush contact), and maintaining such condition despite the breaking of the contact between brush 54 and plate 55, until the switch 60 is opened automatically at the end of the cycle of operation of the machine. In this case, of course, the control is eected by variably positioning the openings 52 either cross-wise of the ticket strip or lengthwise thereof.

In common in all the modifications is the provision of a multiple unit machine, the units of which differ from each other in ticket engaging elements so that only one of them will issue in upright position undamaged, complete tickets from a ticket strip of such construction as not to be issuable in upright position and in undam- A relay coil 58 is illustrated in series Y aged, complete form from any other of said units.

What I claimV and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: V

1. Means for feeding and dispensing tickets of various denominations comprising a plurality of assembled ticket issuing units, and a feeding drum in each unit, each drum being provided on its periphery with a distinctive ticket feeding engaging means whereby each drum is adapted to feed properly only tickets of a particular series prepared to cooperate with that drum.

2.. Means for feeding and dispensing tickets of various denominations comprising a plurality of assembled ticket issuing units, and feeding means in each unit provided withY distinctive ticket feeding engaging means whereby each feeding means is adapted to f eed properly only tickets of a particular series prepared to cooperate with that feeding means.

3. A ticket issuing machine comprising a p-lurality of ticket issuing units, each of said units comprising means for feeding a ticket strip, and means for controlling cycles of operation of the ticket feeding means, said units of the machine comprising ticket engaging elements and differing from each other in said ticket engaging elements so thatonly one of them will issue in upright position undamaged complete tickets from i a ticket strip of such construction as not to beV issuable in upright position Vand in undamaged complete form from any other of said units.

4. A ticket issuing machine comprising a plurality of ticket issuing units, eachof said units comprising means for feeding a ticket strip, and means for controlling cyclesrof operation of the ticket feeding means, said units of 'the machine comprising elements for engaging the ticket strips to feed the same and diifering from each other in the arrangement of said elements, so that only one of them will issue in upright position undamaged complete tickets from a ticket strip of such construction as not to be issuable in upright position and in undamaged complete Y form from any other'of said units.

5. A ticket issuing machine ,comprising a plurality of ticket issuing units, each of said units comprising means for feeding a ticket strip, andA means for controlling cycles of operation of the ticket feeding means,v said uni'ts of the machineV .comprising ticket engaging elements adapted to 

